


A Place for Everything, and Everything in its Place

by nekochiru



Series: A Place for Everything and Everything in Its Place [1]
Category: Sky: Children of the Light (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending, Can you call your Oc an Oc if they don't suffer pain haha, F/M, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Mea and Alin are trying their best, Misunderstandings, Multiple Endings, Multiple Pairings, brainrot, character death maybe hoho, no beta we die like [redacted]
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-26
Updated: 2020-09-13
Packaged: 2021-03-06 14:29:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,478
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26120428
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nekochiru/pseuds/nekochiru
Summary: Before the Sky Kingdom fell, the elders made a decision; a decision to protect and send three young princes to hide in the different realms to guide and protect the next generation of sky children. When the triplets wake up, they find themselves alone and to fend for themselves. Out of the three, Dwyr, the oldest triplet, realises he is not where he is supposed to be.A collection of misunderstandings, fate and the weird ways life works.
Relationships: Original Characters - Relationship
Series: A Place for Everything and Everything in Its Place [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1922242
Comments: 1
Kudos: 12





	1. Where the End Begins (Part 1)

In the silent wastelands, a figure slowly drags itself across the sand dunes. One step, another step, each step left a trail of waste water and dark debris. Holding tightly onto his staff, Dwyr struggles across the last sand dune. He is completely blind by now, but he knows exactly where he is. He left out a small, silent sigh and decided to walk a little more. The further he goes, the better. The less likely they will find him. He knows time is running out. He stumbles forwards, each step heavier than the last, each breath more painful than the last, each heartbeat fainter than the last. 

Almost there...  
Just a little...  
bit...  
...more.

His last footstep, his last breath, his last heartbeat. The end was silent.  
The fall of a sky child normally happens in Eden, but for this child, no, prince, with his fall, crabs fall silent, krills lower their heads and light creatures start to howl. The passing of a prince, far ahead of when he is supposed to pass, a tragedy. But for Dwyr, his end was sent back to the beginning. 

He slowly opened his eyes in the darkness. It felt weird to be able to see again. In front of him, a figure sat, slumped, and in his hand, a single candle. A spirit's memory to relive. He approached the figure and lit it up, and silently followed its trail. At the first memory, Dwyr realised whose memory he was reliving: his own. Three young children standing in front of the elders. Dwyr smiled fondly as what happened came rushing back.

"VALLEY ELDERS! How many times must I tell you this is a SERIOUS situation?! I know you guys love their highnesses, but please stop holding them upside down!!" The Prairie Elder scolded. The Twins sighed and gently placed the three children in their hands, each dangling upside down, faces red from laughter and glee. Simpler times, Dwyr thought fondly. The moment they were placed down, one of them ran and jumped into Forest Elder's arms. The elder hugged him tightly, caressing his face and hair. Dwyr did not notice back then, but now he saw how Forest Elder's hand trembled as she hugged Faro, possibly for the last time. Faro clutched on her robe and smiled gently, "Don't worry, we will be fine! I won't let you down!"  
"Of course not! I have great trust in the three of you!" A deep voice boomed, and large hands scooped Dwyr and Vir's tiny bodies up. The two of them yelled in delight as the Wasteland Elder messed up their hair. The rest of the elders joined in, noting about how the three of them will succeed on their mission, giving their blessings. The Isle Elder, "Always be ready to lead, my sweet princes."  
The Prairie Elder chimed in, "Yes, and always be kind to yourself, each other and the children."  
Forest Elder, her giant hammer in her hand, "You will do well. Always remember that some force may be needed to accomplish a goal."  
The Valley Elders, for once in agreement, "Always remember to HAVE FUN, okay?! Valley will always welcome you!!"  
The Wasteland Elder, with a slight bow, "Never go down without a fight. Trust your spirit."  
And finally, the Vault elder, "Remember who you are, the blood that runs in your veins, the light that guides you, and all will be well."  
As the Vault elder led the triplets away, Dwyr noticed how each of the elders were trembling in their own ways.  
They were at war, and they knew the kingdom will not hold for long. They did not want to do this, but they had to.  
To protect their heritage, their wisdom, their history and their future, the difficult decision was made to send the last three princes into a deep sleep and keep them hidden until centuries later , where they will once again rebuild the kingdom.

That was a grand dream.  
A grand dream that Dwyr had failed. It was only his first memory fragment, but he already felt defeated. He knelt in front of each of the elder, gently knocking his head against the floor, muttering how sorry he is, how he had failed them, how he had failed himself, how he has left his brothers. He stood back up, wiping away his tears. The oldest sibling does not show weakness, he reminded himself, even in death, I will go with pride. The memory dissolved, and he followed the trailing light once again.

A teenage Dwyr, a spear in hand, sitting in shock as a Krill locked onto him. Dwyr chuckled. His very first krill encounter.  
Dwyr sighed, what would Vir have done if he was in his place? Dwyr smiled to himself, I guess it was good we got switched. When Dwyr first woke up, he was confused to see the Vault in such a horrible state. There was sand everywhere. The buildings have collapsed, the books are gone. He wandered aimlessly, trying to figure out where he was. Only when he reached a certain courtyard did he recognise the place. The very courtyard the triplets used to practice spells and play around in. It was now a wasteland, the buildings crumbling, torn flags fluttering in the wind. What happened to the golden structures, the pride of his kingdom? All around him was sign of a terrible war, a huge battle so horrible the winners decided not to even take the place, leaving it in ruins. There was not a single soul in sight. Dwyr felt weak back then, the realization that he and his brothers (if they are even alive) are the only remaining souls who remember what happened. "I must not die," Dwyr remembers whispering to himself. And at that moment, a red light shone on him. Dwyr flinched as he remembers what happened next. The roar, the blur of events, his lights scattering everywhere, and a deep gash on his right leg. The creature roared again and locked its blinding red light on Dwyr once again. Dwyr, now aware of the danger, struggled to run and grab the very first weapon he found- a rusty spear. Yelling, he pointed the spear at the red point that came straight at him, piercing the light. The krill roared, and swung its tail towards him, sending him flying into the wall, and it left. Dwyr stood up, and quickly healed himself. The wound closed slowly, but a small vein of black was left. He did not mind it back then, but now that he was looking at himself, Dwyr noticed the little black vein. Shivers ran down his spine as he thought, "I was cursed on the very first day."

And once again his memory vanished and reappeared. The Dwyr in this fragment had started developing a hard exoskeleton, similar to that of a krill's. It sprouted fron his spine and was spreading onto his neck. Dwyr was tearing a crab open. For a while, his hunger was satisfied with the light from the candles he found lying around. But as time passed, he craved more. Not light, but the dark creatures crawling around him. And most importantly, he desired the krills. He tried a few times but was unable to securely kill a krill to satisfy his hunger. So with the same spear, he started hunting crabs. On days when he was patient, he would roast them. On the days he was on the verge of collapsing, he ripped the poor things apart with his bare hands. The screeching sound they made haunts him every night, but he tries to not think about, thinking "I had to do what I had to do." Dwyr remembers how bad he feels. The guilt still burning inside him right now. HE was the eldest prince. The one who was supposed to be taking care of the Vault of Knowledge. How did he get here? Why is he spending his days running from Krills and eating Crabs. CRABS! Creatures of DARKNESS. Dwyr hated himself for giving in to the dark. He hated that he is useless. He hates that he does not know where his brothers are. Dwyr is not a person who enjoys hating things, but his mind was crowded with hate. I hate this. I hate this. I hate this. I hate this. I hate. I hate. I hate. Hate. hate. hate. HATE. HATE. HATE. HATE. Often times it led to him injuring himself, whether from reckless rampage or picking a fight with the krills. Often he would collapse right away afterwards, blood running from his face, his arms, or wherever it can flow from. The next day, he often finds the scars closed, covered by the dark exoskeleton.  
Looking at his own state, Dwyr sighed. What could he have done? Mediate and waste it away? Dwyr slapped himself. Maybe if he meditated he would not be dead right now. He closed his eyes. The memory changed.

There was now another figure standing beside him. Same hair, same face, but has tassels and a dark blue cape. Dwyr let out a shaky breath, "Faro."  
The first time they reunited, Faro came falling out of the sky, yelling. Dwyr rushed towards the yell which echoed through out the wastelands, only to find his youngest triplet brother, slight scratched but a face full of tears. Faro does not show a lot of facial expressions, nor does he talk a lot, but that day (or night, Dwyr does not know), Faro cried so much into Dwyr's shoulder, and rambled so much about how he has been looking for them for the past decade. Dwyr froze, it had been a decade since they woke up? Faro nodded, and touched the side of the face Dwyr had the spreading exoskeleton on, and asked what happened. Upon knowing, Faro panicked and started forcing pure water down Dwyr's throat. Dwyr vomited it all back out, and that was when the two brothers realised with despair that Dwyr's body has become too accustomed to the darkness. Faro insisted on treating him, but Dwyr cannot even leave the Wastelands. He could not even stay very long near Faro, he definitely cannot stay in the light. Faro, holding back his tears, smiled and hugged Dwyr, promising he will come back with a cure. And he left. Dwyr felt warm. But now, looking at his brother's smile, Dwyr felt something inside him crack. Maybe it was because he was getting blind in one eye, or because Faro's light was too strong, but now, he sees how forced that smile was. His muscles were so tense, he saw how close Faro was to breaking down. Dwyr looked away and sadly smiled, "'Always never let fear overcome you, always smile', huh?" The memory faded again.

Faro visited a few more times, each time bringing Dwyr a gift. Both of them has yet to locate the Vault, or where Vir, the middle triplet, was. Both of them felt glad they found each other, but was also worried for Vir. They promised to continue the search for the last prince, and Faro left Dwyr once again.

The next memory fragment was the first beautiful thing that happened to Dwyr. He was holding a small child. That day, a bright light fell from the sky. Dwyr rushed towards the light, only to discover a pure white child. A small child of light with butterfly wings. Dwyr's very first thought was to eat him. He picked the child up, and was ready to sink his teeth into the tender neck of the child when he felt a warm sensation on his hand. He looked, and all of his previous thoughts vanished. The child had reached up and grabbed his finger and slowly reached out for Dwyr's face. And then the tiny ball of light turned and buried his face in Dwyr's chest. Dwyr fell to his knees, sobbing uncontrollably, hugging the child close to his body, even though the purity of the child hurt him so much. Dwyr reached out to the child in the memory. "A-Alin..." He whispered. His son. Fate took pity on his and gave him a son, a son to take care of. And Dwyr did. He hid the child under his cape, exposed him to as much light as he could. And he grew up a healthy and strong boy. Alin was a quick witted, but very calm boy. He was a curious and pure being, crying whenever he caught Dwyr eating crabs. Alin slept in Dwyr's hug every night, never letting go even though he knew Dwyr's darkness might affect him. But it never did.

Dwyr stared at Alin's round face. He recalled tying Alin's hair, because Alin refused to get his hair cut, saying "I want to have long hair just like papa." Dwyr almost cried and decided that maybe its not a bad thing, and let him keep his hair long.

There isn’t much food at the wasteland, but there are plenty of crabs. Dwyr normally ate crabs raw but he is afraid the kid will turn dark so he’ll wash the crab and make sure to clean it throughout before roasting it for Alin. Alin doesn’t understand why he goes to such extents for him, and one days wants to eat raw crab. Dwyr was against it, "No that’s not good for you. It’s poisonous." Alin pouted and thought for a while before turning back with a big smile, "If I eat a little bit will that make me build up immunity?" Caught off guard, Dwyr could only reply with a "I-I Guess?". The boy rose to his feet and smiled, excited, "Then I’ll eat some so maybe I won’t blind you as much!!" Dwyr smiled back, but inside he was very, very touched. Dwyr laughed as he remembered what happened next. The boy took a generous bite, chewed, and stood up. "Please excuse me," he said and ran off to the other edge of the cliff. Dwyr watched closely as Alin silently spat the meat out, and gagged a little. He laughed heartily. But that laughter stopped when he notice the krill behind Alin. Still agile, Dwyr rushed forward and pushed the child out of the way, and got struck in the face. Alin screamed and immediately rushed to help Dwyr back on his feet, before the two of them rushed back to their little home. 

Dwyr sighed as he remembered how much Alin cried that day, kneeling in front of him, apologising, and not getting up no matter how hard Dwyr tried to pry him off the ground. Not knowing what else to do, Dwyr knelt in front of Alin and pat his head, "Alin, it's okay. I forgive you." Only then did Dwyr get to see Alin's teary face, some crab meat still on his cheek. Alin was still sobbing and only stopped when he grew tired and fell asleep in Dwyr's arms. The next day he woke up, he realised he could not see at all. Dwyr was now completely blind in both eyes, the hardened exoskeleton of darkness has covered most of the upper half of his face. Alin was screaming and apologising, and Dwyr had to calm him down and tell him that he is sill alive, and that he "knew Wasteland like the back of his hand." And he did.

The memory fragment ended and went dark for a long time. Dwyr was confused, and realised that of course, he is no longer able to see. He walked in the dark , listening to the sounds of the remaining memory fragments.

“Dad!! Dad!! Look what I got!!”  
Dwyr stands up and listens, a small crab screeching, “You caught it?”  
"Yeah!"  
Dwyr laughs and hugs Alin proudly and asks what he wants to do with the crab.  
“I want to keep it as a pet”  
Dwyr suddenly feels tears welling up, He's not sure why, but something about his boy wanting to keep something he is afraid of as a pet...  
Alin keeps the crab for a while but it runs away and Alin is very sad. Dwyr pats him and asks if he wants to catch another.  
Slowly, Alin became better at catching crabs than Dwyr. 

"Dad, try to find me okay?"  
"Okay. Don't stray too far alright?"  
"mm-Hmm!"  
"20...19...18.."  
"Here I come!"  
The sound of footsteps. Dwyr walked, effortlessly ducking under flag poles, avoiding rocks and found Alin hiding under a rock.  
"Found you!"  
"Dad, you're really the best!!"

Dwyr smiled, but he wished he never played hide and seek with Alin. Because one day, he never found Alin.


	2. Where the End Begins (Part 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Alin missing, Dwyr struggles on his own. Not with his day to day tasks, but with the emotional guilt.

In the dark alone, Dwyr could only listen to his memories replay. Each yell gets more painful. He felt as though he is going through this pain a second time.  
"Alin?"  
Dwyr's fists clenched.  
"Alin!"  
His breathing got faster.  
"ALIN??"  
Dwyr felt his head spin and heart pound.  
"ALIN!!! ALIN!! WHERE ARE YOU? PLEASE, PLEASE COME OUT. PLEASE." Dwyr choked on his tears. "Please, Dad is waiting, please, come out, please. Let's go home. Let's go home for today okay? I'll give you all the hugs, so please come to me. Alright?"  
"Alin. Alin! I'm not going to wait for you. I'm going to lock you of of the house. I'll throw you the crabs. Alin, if you don't come out right now-"  
"ALIN!"

The yelling ceased, and Dwyr could only hear himself sobbing. Dwyr noted down how ugly he sounds crying. Until know, he does not know what happened to Alin, so he said the same thing he heard, "Please... please give him back to me...Please, please, please don't take him away from him. Please, he's all I have left to live for. Please. If you must, take me instead..."

And everything went silent.  
Dwyr noticed the memory had ended, so he followed it to the next one.

The sound of the wind, the flags flapping in the distance, his foot steps silent. There was no sound of Krills or Crabs. He was in the battlefield. Then, the sound of wings flapping, and light foot steps following him. It was not Alin's, nor was it Faro's. It might be a sky child. Dwyr had noted that Sky children started appearing a few years ago, and he had been guiding them silently from the shadows, planting candles where it is safe. Alin helped him with it, but now he has to do it alone. He never shows himself to the kids, because he knows how scary he looks. No need to terrorise the kids in an already terrifying realm. But this pair of footsteps did not leave him alone. Listening to the sounds again, Dwyr was excited. To him, this is the second most beautiful thing that happened to him.

The sound a weapon being drawn,the sound of Dwyr turning and brandishing his own spear, the clashing of metal on metal. Dwyr feels the weight of the other's weapon, it was either a saber, a hammer or an axe. More whooshing, the sound from his back now, he turned and parried the heavy weapon, the other party pushing hard against him. Dwyr dipped and swept his feet under his opponent's feet, but he could hear them swiftly springing a few feet back. He swung his spear once again. The opponent went silent, and Dwyr suspect they were above him in the air. He dodged to the left and surely enough, a loud clang was heard at the place he was just standing. Taking the chance while the weapon was stuck in the ground, Dwyr tackled the person and pinned them against the nearing wall, his hand tight around their neck.

Except, it was a very thin neck. Dwyr froze. His other hand trailed up the neck and touched the face. Round cheeks, soft lips, round eyes, and... long hair. A hand grabbed the hand around the neck. Slender hands, Dwyr noted, and immediately let go. He had just fought with a woman. He immediately fell to his knees and did a dogeza. "I'M TERRIBLY SORRY!" He yelled, embarrassed. He should've asked before fighting! Did he injure her?! The girl shuffled to her feet and laughed. Oh, it was a sweet, sweet laugh. Dwyr felt like melting hearing it again. "If only I could've seen your face before I died," He thought. Her name is Enyo. The rumoured 'untouchable beauty of the wastelands'. "Challenge the untouchable beauty in a duel, and if you win, she will take your hand in marriage," the rumour goes. Except, this time, Enyo mistook Dwyr for a dark creature, and Dwyr mistook Enyo for an enemy. But she stuck around anyway, curious about Dwyr. Having someone around him felt reassuring, Dwyr noted. Although his search for Alin and Vir never stopped, the hand he held now felt safe, anf he felt the greater need to find his family.

"Dad!!" Alin's voice rang cheerfully. Dwyr stood up in a rush and immediately turned to the source of the sound. There's nothing, but he felt the warm hug from Alin. Feeling his son, Dwyr broke into uncontrollable crying, trembling as he squeezed his son tightly. "Dad, I'm back." Dwyr notices Aliin's hair had been cut, and hes a little... taller now. But it is Alin, that much he is sure. "Is this your son?" Enyo asked from behind him, and walked towards them. Dwyr turned and nodded. He heard Enyo ruffle Alin's hair and scold him playfully for "Leaving daddy alone and going away without warning," and "He would call out your name in his sleep and curl up like a child, and would only stop if i give him a hug or pat his head till he sle-""I think that's enough, Enyo." Dwyr brushed her off, embarrassed. But Alin did not let this go. "Dad, do I have a mom now?" Dwyr cannot see, but he sure can feel his face heat up. He turned away, "A-a-Uh-W-Where have you been??" "YEah! Wh-Where have yoo be-been??" Enyo echoed. Alin pushed, "Can I call you Mom???" And that's when Enyo turned to Dwyr, and Dwyr, face really red now, gently grabbed her hand.   
"W-would you like to be Alin's mom?" Enyo pouted, "Can't you say it more directly?" Dwyr swallowed hard.

"E-Enyo, will you be my wife?"

Dwyr knew well how it ended, and when he thinks about how warm it felt, hugging both Enyo and Alin at the same time, getting hugged by them, it felt so warm. He silently thanks the stars for this. For blessing him with a second family. The laughter and cheers silently faded as the memory ended. Dwyr cried alone in the dark. If only...if only he had gotten a chance to see how Enyo looked like, how Alin looked like after coming...but that was too much to ask for. They spend so many days together happily, and that was all that mattered. Waking up to Enyo humming a song, guiding and planting candles together, luring krills away together, catching crabs in the dark water, laughing and lying down together in the sand as they shared stories and jokes. That was enough.

"Dwyr?"  
Dwyr looked around, looking the direction of the voice. It was Faro.  
"Faro, how have you been?"  
"A-ah. I've been good. And these are?"  
"Alin and Enyo. My son and wife."  
The sound of confetti. Faro congratulated them, and introduced himself.  
"I'm his youngest brother. Actually I'm like, 5 seconds younger than him. But he feels like he's 5 years older than me."  
"Ah, where do you guide?" Enyo asked.  
"The Hidden Forest. I came today to give Dwyr this."  
A little jar was placed in Dwyr's hands. A jar of water.  
"Got it from Daylight. It's the purest of the pure."  
"Faro...Thank you. Have you found Vir?"  
"N-no."  
"It's okay, we should keep looking."

A hand tugged on Dwyr's cape. He asked, "Yes, Alin?"  
"I know where the vault is."

Echoing footsteps. Heavy doors opening. The smell of old paper, a very familiar smell. It was the Vault. The very last place the triplets were before they were sent to sleep. Dwyr could not remember much from this memory. He heard fragmented yells, anger, Alin raising his voice at Faro, Faro yelling back, Enyo trying to calm someone down, and Vir. He could only hear himself being dragged out of the Vault by Faro, who was muttering something along the lines of "I'll make the bastard pay." Dwyr asked what happened, and Faro replied coldly, "That was not Vir. He's dead." But Dwyr knew that Faro was lying. The voice he heard was definitely Vir's. So one day, Dwyr decided to visit Vir alone. He walked into the Vault, but he was unfamiliar with the place now, and had wandered into some rabbit hole and is currently lying in a pond of water, lying on his back. Slowly getting up and rubbing his back, he heard Vir.   
"Brother?"  
Vir sounded...hurt.  
Dwyr rushed towards Vir. "Vir! Vir! Are you alright? Where are you hurt?" No reply. Vir pushed Dwyr away. "So this is what the elders wanted to do to me."  
"Do what?"  
Vir touched the exoskeleton on Dwyr, tracing it to his face. "This,' he said monotonously.  
"What do you mean?"  
"The elders hated me, didn't they? They wanted to send me to the battlefield, now a wasteland, so I can WASTE away, isn't that right, brother?"  
Dwyr opened his mouth, but no words came out. He was confused, why is Vir saying all this? The elders did not hate him? If anything, the elders saw Vir fit to rebuild the battlefield and rebuild it back to its former glo-  
"I knew it. They wanted to get rid of me."  
"Vir, no, they-"  
"I DON'T NEED YOUR INPUT."  
"..."  
"LOOK AT WHAT YOU'VE BECOME. A MONSTER. A MONSTER EATING DARK CREATURES."  
"I-I chose to-"  
"Did you choose, or were you FORCED to?"  
"I-"  
He hear Vir walking away.  
"I'm so glad we switched places."

Dwyr does not know why, but maybe its the few decades of him wallowing in his self hate suddenly exploding, but that awful feeling told Dwyr that he is only suffering right now because of Vir. If he had not switched places with me, I would not be suffering. If only- If-I- I-   
"I hate you."  
"Good, and I don't need your forgiveness anyway."

And Dwyr left the Vault, struggling, tripping and stumbling all the way out, hatred, anger and frustration making him deaf to everyone calling out to him. Because unknown to him, three krills have locked on him. As he laid in the sand, he laughed. He laughed because he was angry. He laughed because he was embarrassed. He laughed because he was a fool. Oh, he's such a fool. The vault had been so near but he never found it. He let Alin get kidnapped. He let Alin get kidnapped by Vir. His own brother. He laughed until he was tired, he laughed until his throat was dry, his eyes drained of tears. He woke up at home. Enyo found him and carried him home on her own. She held his hand in silence, not saying a single word. Dwyr held her hand, and asked, "Where is Alin?"  
"I'm here."  
Dwyr got out of bed and grasped Alin's shoulder's hard.  
"WHAT did he do to you?"  
Alin shook his head, "Nothing."  
"NOTHING? NOTHING? THEN WHY DID HE TAKE YOU AWAY FOR SO LONG?"  
"He-"  
"Are you trying to defend him? After everything he has done to me?"  
"No I-"  
"Alin. Please don't tell me you stayed with him willingly."  
"I-" Alin took a deep breath.  
"I did."  
Dwyr wished he taught the child how to lie. He really does. But Alin was so pure, he couldn't bear to. Dwyr slowly let go of Alin, "I see how it is."  
And he turned to leave the house, but Enyo grabbed his hand.  
"LET GO OF ME!" He yelled. Dwyr had never raised his voice at Enyo or Alin, and today he raised his voice at both of them. He felt terrible. And that feeling only made him feel worse.   
Dwyr slammed the door shut and turned to Alin.  
"Do you know how many of my lights I fed you? Do you know how many times I had to feed the krills MY light?"  
The two them went silent.  
"I had to give you my lights so you will not get corrupted. Do you know how painful the process of getting a light out is?"  
He gripped his chest tightly. "I had to RIP IT OUT OF HERE. That's what the krills do. They target your heart, and they rip out the lights from your heart. DO you know how PAINFUL THAT IS?!" He yelled. He wanted to stop yelling, he wanted to be alone. But he does not know how much longer he has.  
"For the past few decades, I have been giving krills my lights too. It was a deal to leave you alone. Now it's a deal to leave the two of you alone."  
He took in a deep breath. "And I have 2 lights left."

*TW: Gore, description of blo0d and insides*

He took a step towards Alin, his hand clutching deeper into his chest, his nails digging into the skin. He felt his skin tear apart, his nails now digging into his flesh. Enyo ran to stop him but Dwyr pushed her away, "Stay out of this."  
He grabbed Alin by the neck and pinned him to the floor. Digging deeper with the other hand, Dwyr grunted in pain as the flesh and muscle tore, the deep cut letting out pools of dark blood run onto the floor, as well as a ray of light. Dwyr gritted his teeth as he reached in deeper, and he could feel his heart beating against his fist. And he found it. The second last winged light. Slowly pulling it out, he heard Enyo gasp in shock as she cried, telling Dwyr to stop. Hearing it again made Dwyr's chest ache. "I'm sorry my love. But my heart hurts so bad when I was suffering for so long and he was out playing with the very person who caused me misery."  
He held the wing light in his blood hands.   
"Take this as my parting gift."  
He forced open Alin's mouth, and the boy was struggling, his mouth shut tightly. Dwyr tighted his grip on his neck and Alin passed out. Dwyr let the light slip into his mouth and only let go when Alin's body felt warmer. He stood up and placed Alin on his bed. He turned to Enyo, who was still stiffing her sobs. "It had to be done sooner or later." He reached in the gaping hole once more, pulling out his final light. He presented it to Enyo, and with a shaking voice, "I don't care if you will consume this or throw it away, but I want you to have it. I will not give away my last light to them." Placing it in her shaking hands, Dwyr felt the darkness plug the hole and he knew now there is no going back. It was either die, or become a monster, just as Vir said. He picked up a candle from the floor, and lit it. Tucking it under his wing to give the illusion of a lighted wing, he made his way slowly to the center of the wastelands.

The krills were already there. They all turned to Dwyr, ready for their feed. Dwyr said his last blessings and prayers and was about to let the krills charge forward. But the krills were more interested in something else. He turned around, and saw Vir standing behind him. His eyes widened.   
"VIR! GET OUT OF HERE!"  
"Dwyr! I- I came to c-"  
"GET OUT OF HERE!"  
But it was too late. If the krills see a brighter source of light they will be attracted to it. And they were already locked on Vir. All 10 krills of the Wastelands. Dwyr dropped the candle and ran towards Vir, and barely managed to push him out of the way as the dark dragons mobbed him. And that was the last thing Dwyr hears, the roar of the dragons before the memory faded.

That was the last memory left, but Dwyr's mind continued to play it out.  
Waking up in Vir's room. There was a winged light in his chest.  
"Enyo told me it's yours."  
Dwyr sat up.   
Vir stood up and came forward to Dwyr.   
"Brother, I-"  
"Vir. Please don't make me feel worse than I already do."  
"I...It is true I switched places with you."  
Dwyr clenched his fists.  
"But I have been watching you."  
"Watching me? Suffer?" Dwyr scoffed.  
"You could say that. But I never had the courage to-"  
"Vir please. Let me be."  
And Dwyr left.  
He left things hanging, with no explanation.  
Dwyr felt that if he listened, he would only feel worse. So he left. Enyo had taken Alin and went to Hidden Forest to take some time away, Vir said. Dwyr smiled inside, "I'm really a horrible person."

And Dwyr stood up. This is where it all ends. Dragging his last light till he died, alone. Dwyr hopes that by now, his body is either buried under the sands or torn apart by a bunch of krills. He continued walking down the dark tunnel.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AhhHhhHHHHH This is quite different from the first few drafts I had in mind, and I hope everything makes sense so far.


	3. Out of Place

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An ending that became an alternative ending.

Dwyr is gone. Dwyr is gone. Enyo looked at the lifeless body of her beloved lying in the sand. Faro was with her too, and neither knew what to do, or say.

Just then Vir and Alin arrived, both out of breath from running all the way.

"You came?" Faro asked, not looking.

Vir did not respond. Faro turned around and without a word, punched Vir to the ground. He grabbed Vir by his collar and demanded, "I was asking you a question."

Vir blinked and responded, "Alin told me you found the body."

Faro slammed his brother into the sand, "And you had the AUDACITY to show up?!"

Faro was beyond livid. He doesn't know what to do anymore. He cried, yelling into Vir's face.

"THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT. IF YOU HAD NOT- IF YOU HAD NOT SWITCHED PLACES. IF YOU HAD NOT DECIDED TO BE A SLY FOX, HE WOULD HAVE BEEN ALIVE."

Vir drew in a shaky breath.

"YOU SHOULD'VE DIED INSTEAD!" Faro roared, and stood up. 

He carried Dwyr's lifeless body and looked at Vir. Vir looked back with tired, dark eyes. Seeing that Vir had nothing to say, Faro left, Enyo and Alin quickly tagging along behind them. Once they left, Vir let the tears fall. Apologising, yelling, shouting, tearing at his own hair, clutching at his chest. He yelled. He was so lost.

He was afraid. He was afraid that he will not survive wasteland. When he woke up, he felt guilty. He came to the wastelands to apologise, only to see his brother get krilled for the first time. Vir was too afraid to move, and just so happened that another krill spotted him. While Dwyr ran to find a hideout, Vir scrambled back to the Vault, a deep scar on his back. Vir never dared to go back out, channeling all his power to heal the darkness in him. The more he went to see Dwyr, the more guilty he felt, and the more hesitant he felt to show his face. Because he was afraid his brother will get mad at him.

And he did get mad at him. And now he is dead and gone, and Vir is now in charge of both the wastelands and vault. Vir had overcome his fear of the krills for a while already, but seeing them everyday reminded of the last moments he spent with his brother. Neither Faro nor Enyo come to see him, so he was all alone now. Everyday, he finds pieces of Dwyr's life scattered in the wasteland. A jar of water here. A scarf he left there. A journal.

"I wonder how Vir and Faro are doing? I hope they are safe."

"I got attacked today. I don't know what that thing is. But I hope wherever my brothers are, these things don't stay there."

"I finally found Faro today. No, more like he found me. He came spirally out of the sky! Can you believe it?"

"Another attack. There's something growing out of my leg now."

Vir flipped through, each entry making him more and more emotional.

"I hate this i hate this i hate this i hate this it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts IT HURTS I HATE THIS SO MUCH PLEASE CAN SOMEONE END MY MISERY I HATE THIS SO MUCH PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE--------"  
Vir suddered at the messy scrawls and scratches of ink. He thinks about how much pain Dwyr must have felt. Vir knew first hand how painful the darkness felt like growing in his body, but for Dwyr to have it spread INSIDE the body as well as it hardening on his skin...

"I tried to drown myself today. But this stupid thing makes me float on water."  
Vir chokes a little, not knowing whether its because he brother tried to drown himself or because he was just floating on the water.

Vir carried the journal with him everywhere he went. It felt like Dwyr is with him.  
"Enyo sounds as beautiful as ever. Sometimes, I want to touch her so I can try and picture how she looks like in my mind. Enyo, I want to look at your face."  
As he completes Dwyr's day to day tasks he feels more and more close to the edge. To travel so much everyday in such a dangerous place just to make sure others are safe.  
"Alin said he managed to catch 10 crabs today. Is that even possible?"  
Dwyr really did a lot.  
"I heard a big group of sky kids today. I hope they have safe travels."  
Vir thought a lot about it.

One day, Vir sat on top of the cliff, the very same cliff Dwyr and Alin once sat eating crabs, as he flipped through the journal. His hand flips to the very last page and his eyes fall on the last entry:

“Even though he has wronged me, he is my brother after all, and what the oldest has to do, is to protect the rest. If this is a way of protecting him from the suffering I am going through, I will endure this and forgive him. I may have said some harsh words to him, and I hope he will forgive me for this. I love you, Vir. Thank you for thinking for yourself, it's something I cannot do. I love you Faro, thank you for trying your best to help me, thank you for keeping me company, thank you for smiling all the time. But hey, you gotta let your muscles relax, alright? Enyo, I love you so much. I cannot explain how much you mean to me. Our first meeting was one of a kind. I always thinking about it, if I had not walked that route, would you have seen me? I am so glad that we met, that we fought. I feel safe in your arms, and you make me feel like everything is alright. I am sorry for all the times I angered you. I may be selfish sometimes. I know you love Alin, but go easy on him okay? I know, i know, I dote on him too much. Lastly...the light of my life, Alin. I love you Alin. Thank you for being born, for saving yourself and saving me. I don't know where I would be without you. You have the light of a royal inside you now. Do you know that? That I've fed you my light so you will not be corrupted? It's alright to not know. I don't want you to be burdened with responsibilities. My son, I love you, and please live your life to the fullest. None of them may ever read this, but I feel a need to write this down. I don't have much longer left. Soon, they will ruin everything I have built.”

Vir stopped reading. His vision blurred with the words. Dwyr did not know how to express himself well, but in this journal, Vir saw everything. His fears, his worries, his happiness, his love. Vir did not know what to do anymore. Clutching the journal, he whispered, "I love you too, brother. I'm sorry, and thank you."  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
News spread through the sky realms that one day in the Wastelands, someone tripped and fell into a group of 10 krills. The person's white cape was the last thing they saw, as a bright light slowly fade away, the sounds of krills roaring, the screams and laughter mixing and slowly fading away.

Faro arrived at the scene. Surely, there was nothing left of the said person. Faro walked around, trying to figure out what happened, and something caught his eye. A pair of tassels, and a ripped journal. He immediately ran to the Vault, only to find it empty. In Vir's room, a piece of paper:

"There's a place for everything, and everything has to be in place. I am not where I am supposed to be, therefore I have gone to where I have to be."

Faro understood. But he could not cry. Because now he was truly alone in this world.  
Faro was never quite the same after that. He still was friendly to Enyo and Alin, but everything felt like a hoax. It was as if nothing is real anymore. Faro never slept. He worked day and night in the forest of never ending rain, sometimes staring into space in the trees. 

Then one day, Enyo came running. "Faro! Faro! The eggs! They are hatching!!"  
Faro nodded and walked towards the two blue eggs. They were given to Faro by the Vault elder, and was told that these eggs will hatch the next heirs of the Valley bloodline. Faro approached them. In the nest, a pair of twins slept, both clutching each other's hands tightly. The children had the same hairdo as the valley elders, he noted, a sign that they were indeed the heirs. But what made Faro uneasy was how one of them had white scars, tine lines that ran around their body, as if it was stitched together, and the other had the white scars concentrated on their back, face and a huge one on their chest.  
Faro and Enyo looked at each other.  
They want to believe that Fate works in curious ways.  
Maybe, just maybe, there really is a place for everything, and now, everything is in place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ehHEHHEHEHE This is supposed to be the end of the story but I was like NAH I hurt them too much HAHAHA aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa Please look forward to the fluff!


	4. A Place for Your Tired Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> If only the story were that simple. There is a time and place for everything, and this was neither Dwyr nor Vir’s time or place yet.

If only the story were that simple. There is a time and place for everything, and this was neither Dwyr nor Vir’s time or place yet.

In the dark tunnel, Dwyr sees it. The light at the end. His footsteps quickens. The sounds of crying, yelling and laughter echoing in his head, he is desperate to leave. Reliving the memories has been more painful than something to be fond of. A few more steps, three, two, one. Dwyr stops. He looks back to the dark once more, and of course, it’s empty. He turns back to the light. Deep breath. Eyes closed, the final step.

The First breath of air was painful.  
The second, heavy.  
The third, refreshing.   
The fourth, alive.

Dwyr squinted, suddenly aware of his eyesight. The light blinded him. He is still aware of his memories, his past. Has he not reincarnated? Why is he still aware of what happened, why does he still recognise who he is? Where is he, why do he hear people crying?  
Blinking a few times, his vision slowly cleared.  
Ah.  
Long, flowing hair, tied on the right, face half hidden by it. A single flower sits in her hair. Bright, clear yellow eyes teary and wet, her pale grey face with a hint of red from crying too much. Dwyr looked, mesmerised. He watched her slender fingers wipe away the never ending strings of tears.  
“...Dwyr...”  
His breathing stopped abruptly.   
A very familiar voice. There was some ringing in his ears, a high pitched deafening sound, and the sound of...rain.  
He tried to reach out towards the person, his arm heavy. His body felt unbearably heavy, and sore. Shaking, his hand managed to touch her arm. The pair of bright yellow eyes widened and turned around to face him.   
“...Dwyr?” Her trembling hands slowly reached up and held his, her face scrunching up, another wave of tears ready to overflow. He gently tried to wipe her tears away, but she only grasped his hand harder and started sobbing furiously into it.  
“F-Faro! Faro! He’s awake, he’s alive, he’s alive!” She cried out in between violent sobs, her grip on Dwyr’s hand firm and shaking. In the already deafening sound of crying and rain, the thundering sound of heavy footsteps splashing in the pools of water made Dwyr wince in pain. Strong arms slowly lifted his limp body up and carried him into a nearby cave, the darkness and silence making Dwyr feel more at peace. Slowly opening his eyes once again, he sees yet another familiar face: Faro. 

Faro’s eyes and cheeks were red, his eyes still wet. Dwyr tried to laugh, but only a sigh came out as he slowly caressed his brother’s cheeks.   
“...crying...f..o..haha...f.faro...” Dwyr mumbled, and fell asleep.

Faro and Enyo were beyond overjoyed. They looked at each other’s red and swollen eyes, cheeks still wet from the tears, except now it’s wet from tears of relief and joy. Their dear brother and husband, presumed dead, came back alive! When they brought his body to forest, the both of them noticed immediately how the rain of the forest slowly corroded and washed away the hard exoskeleton that hugged Dwyr’s body. That was the first time Enyo has ever saw her husband’s face, the silver eyelashes, the fine eyebrows, his pale grey face. It felt so different and new from the usual black exoskeleton and red diamond that stared back at her. His soft cheeks, Enyo couldn’t resist but punch at them now that he is lying on her lap, fast asleep. As she pat his hair, she noticed the exoskeleton growing again. It crawled out from his back, slowly crawling and hardening over his shoulders, his neck, and started covering his face again. She was unsure why this is happening, and was just about to get Faro when Faro and Alin walked into the cave.

“Enyo, what happened?”  
“I-I don’t know.”  
Faro approached and grabbed Dwyr’s thin wrist. He sighed, “He’s still alive, at least.” Alin blinked a few times and asked, “Maybe it’s the rain?” Enyo nodded, maybe it is. She carried Dwyr’s sleeping body, now hard from the exoskeleton, and walked into the rain. She watched as the rain slowly ate away the darkness. But she also noticed how the rain eats away her light. Faro opened an umbrella and sheltered her, “The rain eats away light. Maybe that’s why it eats away darkness too.”

They left Dwyr in the rain, observing from a few feet away, as the darkness melted away and omg again revealed a thin, slender figure. Enyo and Faro looked at each other. So the rain eats away the dark and light. Faro wondered aloud, “Then why do darkness grow in the forest? And why does it not help when I gave him all the pure water from daylight and forest? He only puked them all out.”

Alin listened and noted it down in his head. When it came to matters of knowledge, there’s only one place and one person to go to. 

“Faro? Enyo? Brother? Food is ready,” a gentle voice called out. The three of them turned to the direction of the voice. A young girl the same age as Alin, and in fact the same face and cape as well, stood at the entrance of the cave, her face peaking out. The smell of warm food wafted out.   
“Thank you Mea, reliable as always,” Faro smiled warmly as the three of them walked into the cave, Dwyr still asleep in Enyo’s arms. Mea smiled widely as Faro pat her on her head. Alin kept staring at her as he stuffed one spoon of the warm soup after another. It feels unreal. Mea was his twin sister, but was taken care of by Faro. What rubs him the wrong way is that Faro is Alin’s uncle, since Dwyr is his dad. But why does Mea call Faro “Big Brother”?? By that logic, wouldn’t Dad be his Big brother too??? Alin sighed. Maybe “Big brother” sounds better than “Papa” or “Dad” to her? “What are you staring at?” Mea pouted, “My cooking can’t be that bad.” Alin looked away and muttered, “Nothing.”

Enyo and Alin had never eaten such warm food before. Sure, they had nice meals in Wasteland although it mainly consisted of crabs, but it was never this warm, Nor soupy. Alin slurped one bowl after another, and Enyo had to stop him from eating too much. “It’s alright, he’s a growing boy afterall,” Faro commented with a chuckle. Then, the noise of something stirring up and shuffling behind. Mea shrieked and immediately went to hide under Faro’s cape. Towering over the sitting people, Dwyr’s dark structure and gleaming red diamond glared down. Enyo stood up and immediately pulled him into a hug. Dwyr slowly moved his head and returned the hug, running his fingers through her hair. Alin stood up and walked towards his dad, the memory of his last encounter with his dad still vivid in his head. Dwyr, blind again, heard his son’s soft steps. Using one hand, he pulled Alin into a hug together with Enyo. After a while, he knelt down to Alin and placed his forehead against Alin’s. “I’m...sorry...” Dwyr whispered, still weak. Alin choked on his tears and hugged Dwyr tightly, choking on “I’m sorry”s and “I miss you dad”s. Dwyr sighed and pulled him deeper into the hug, the boy wailing louder. Enyo held back a sniff but Dwyr heard it anyway, pulling her to join the family hug. After a while, Dwyr spoke, “...hungry.”

And so, five people sat around a little fire where a little pot boiled. Enyo never noticed; but watching Dwyr eat stirred up a little warm emotion in her. “I’m gonna learn how to cook,” she mentally noted down. Dwyr does not know how to describe this newfound feeling of warm liquid travelling down his throat. In fact, he wonders if he had ever had warm food. He probably had, back when he was younger. Was it Prairie Elder, or Isle Elder? One of the elders? No, Dwyr thought. It might have been their mother's cooking. Dwyr suddenly thought about his parents, but quickly dismissed the thought and started slurping down bowls of hot soup.

After a few bowls, Dwyr sighed. He doesn’t know what to say. Reliving his memories made him feel...embarrassed. How he treated Enyo and Alin, his poison-lined words to Vir. His cold shoulder towards Faro. Watching his memories gave him embarrassment, as well as second hand embarrassment. He knelt down, and touched his head on the ground. 

“I’m sorry.”  
“I’m sorry for not realising how hard you were trying to save me.”  
“I’m sorry for being so harsh on you.”  
“I’m sorry for being selfish.”  
“I’m sorry for being so...” he couldn’t find the word. Mean? Horrible? Merciless?  
“I’m sorry for being Cruel.” The scar on his chest hurt. He still had that one winged light. He refused to look up, and the others could only silently watch him as he listed out everything he is sorry for, everything he feels that he did wrong. When he was done, he raised his head up and sat up straight. He expected them to come at him with harsh criticism, but there was no sound, just a sniff from someone he doesn’t know. He could hear Alin trying to hold back his tears, and Enyo comforting him, as well as Faro whispering “It’s alright, it’s alright,” to someone.

And that’s how he learnt about Mea.  
Faro’s second visit to the wasteland was cut short when he noticed a little egg buried in the sand. He hurriedly dug it up, knowing that if the Krills were to discover the egg, the child inside is a goner. So that day, he brought the egg back to forest, where he placed it gently with the valley twin eggs. On the same day Dwyr found Alin, the same light erupted from the egg Faro found. A baby girl with a butterfly cape was born. Faro raised the child as his own, but for some reason, she called him “big brother” instead of “dad”. Faro did not question it. She grew up quickly and healthy, and was really good at flying. Seeing to how responsible she is, Faro tasked her to guide the children in Daylight. Mea took to the task well, and eventually earned the title of “The Pure Butterfly of Daylight”. Dwyr nodded, “So they’re twins, but we found one egg each.” Faro nodded, “Indeed. I think Alin’s egg was buried deeper so I did not notice him. But I’m so Glad you found him.”  
Dwyr grinned creepily as he faces Alin, gently grabbing hold of his head and shoulders, baring his neck. “I was going to eat him that day,” he laughed, as Alin squirmed, ticklish. Enyo whacked Dwyr on the head as she pulled Alin towards her. “You were going to eat him???” Dwyr sheepishly nodded, “But I didn’t.” The image of Alin reaching out to him is still clear as day, but he was unable to voice that magical moment out. The conversation went on for a while, before eventually tiring out Dwyr, who once again fell into a deep sleep.  
-  
-  
-  
-  
-  
The creaking of old gates, the booming of heavy doors and the sound of pair of very light, soft footsteps.   
“Vir?”  
The middle triplet sat in the middle of mountains of scrolls, his head piece and cloth veil placed neatly on the table nearby. Hearing Alin’s voice, he looked up wearily, an old journal in his hands.   
“What’re you reading?”  
“An old journal.”  
“Ah.”  
Alin made his way towards Vir, picking up the books and scrolls, arranging them neatly on the table. “I think I found a cure for Dwyr.”  
Vir’s eyes lit up immediately. “You what?”  
Alin nodded, and took out a few vials.   
“This is pure rainwater from Forest.”  
“And this is some of the exoskeleton I managed to pull off Dad.”  
“This one’s krill dropping, this is crab shells and this is a plant of darkness.”  
Vir watched intently. “When I add the rainwater to any of them,” he held up the little vials, “the dark matters dissolve.” Vir nodded, “But it also takes away light, does it not?” Alin sighed and nodded.   
“I want to know why,” the two of them sighed in unison. And they laughed together. And so, the countless trials of experiments started. Alin snuck sample pieces from forest to the vault, and Vir ran experiments after experiments trying to figure how the rainwater worked. The two of them had a special bond, one born out of curiosity. To Alin, Vir was his mentor. To Vir, Alin was a promising student, and also his nephew, although Alin will never call him uncle. All was fine until one day, someone kicked down the door to the vault.

"VIR, YOU SNEAKY KIDNAPPING KRILL!" Faro's shout echoed throughout the empty halls. Alin and Vir immediately looked up and towards each other. It was a storm they knew was coming, but was one they were unsure if they can tame.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realised I have never really thought about this time frame of the story,,


	5. The Mind Is Its Own Place, and in Itself, can Make A Heav'n of Hell, a Hell of Heav'n ( from a poem by Milton )

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cornered, Alin and Vir needs to answer to Dwyr, Faro and Enyo on why the kidnapped is willingly staying with the kidnapper.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The title of this chapter is from John Milton's poem, Paradise Lost, Book I, specifically Lines 221-270.

Alin's head was spinning. The memories of his dad tearing open his chest, the blood, the mess, the sounds of yelling and crying, it echoes in his head. He felt sick, the world giving away at his feet. Vir quickly steadied the young boy, carrying him into his arms, patting his back as Alin clutches Vir's cape, trembling. Alin knew what he was doing is good, but he was so afraid to face his dad, his fury once more. No, Alin do not want his dad to think of him as a traitor. He has once again, betrayed his dad's trust, but if this betrayal is something that can save his father, then Alin will betray whoever he needs to. Vir brought the shivering child closer to him, rubbing circles on his tiny back as the foot steps and banging of heavy doors got nearer and nearer. 

"VIR!" The last door banged opened. 

The figures, tired and worried, stood at the frame. And facing them, was Vir, hugging Alin close to him. Vir's cold eyes pierced Dwyr as he hugged Alin closer to himself, the child shaking, not daring to turn around. Dwyr gritted his teeth and his grip on his spear tightened. Vir's heart was pounding so loudly against his chest, Alin could feel it. 

"My child," Dwyr spoke, his composure still intact, offering a hand outwards.  
"Please, we'll let you go," Enyo pleaded. If anything, Enyo did not want the three brothers to start fighting, or do something that will endanger any of their lives. She just wants her family to go back to what it once was, although she knew deep in her heart it would not.

"Yes, the child you traumatised," Vir spat. Shit. He did not mean for it to come out so bluntly.  
He steadied himself as he saw anger flare in Faro's eyes as he too a step forwards, "You-!" But a scarred arm stops him. 

Dwyr's red diamond gleamed as he stopped Faro. Taking in a deep breath, he answered, "Yes, the child who I have scarred." Vir nodded slowly, "So you admit." Dwyr slowly looked at Vir. Despite his eyes completely hidden under the exoskeleton, Vir could feel Dwyr's bright yellow eyes staring straight at him. Dwyr slowly took a step forward, "I admit. Please, hand him over." 

Vir's eyes narrowed as he scanned his brother up and down. Dwyr was doing much better than when they last saw each other, and just as Alin had reported, much more emotionally stable. Vir loosened his grip on Alin. Dwyr would not tear himself apart again, he noted. He walked towards Dwyr, his own footsteps deafening for him and handed Alin over.

But the child's grip on Vir's shoulders were of iron strength, and would not let go of the white caped brother. Vir blinked in confusion as Dwyr tilted his head. "Alin?" Vir questioned. "Son," Dwyr called out. But the child would not budge. Dwyr nodded slowly, and chuckled. "I see. You prefer to be with Vir?" Alin shook when he heard those words. His grip loosened, but gripped Vir tightly again. Vir opened his mouth to protest, "Alin, you should-" "No," the tiny voice protested. Alin slowly turned around, his eyes brimming with tears, "No," he repeated.

Dwyr could feel the confusion grow in the room. Not only Vir and himself, but Faro and Enyo as well. "Alin, what do you mean?" Enyo asked, her voice calming Alin down. "If you have something to say, we will listen," Enyo continued, squeezing Faro's tense shoulder as she walked by him, and stood beside Dwyr, giving his hand a reassuring squeeze. Alin turned around and looked into his mother's gentle, pleading eyes. He looked away and loosened his grip on Vir. Vir ever so gently placed the child down. Alin took Dwyr's large hand, and he looked down. Without a word, he led Dwyr towards another door.

"Alin, no." Vir shook his head. Alin furrowed his eyebrows at the white caped man, and proceeded to creak the door open, ignoring Vir's protests. Dwyr stepped inside, his new surroundings making his remaining senses more aware. Enyo and Faro walked in behind, and Vir trailed behind last. 

"This is-"  
"The search for a cure," Alin began. Dwyr turned around to look at Vir, whose eyes have fell to the ground.

You see, Vir had this issue of pride, and this issue of communication. Combine them both, and you have a walking mess of misunderstandings. Vir is no stranger to being misunderstood. And he is no stranger to being unable to set things straight. Apologising, admitting to his mistakes, no, he will gladly take the punishment once found guilty but he will not ask for forgiveness or pity. No, to him, those are signs of weakness. He had no intention of telling Dwyr the truth, but for some reason, his conscience eats him everyday. So he made it a point to at least try to figure what is wrong with Dwyr. Not until he saw that Dwyr has a child did Vir's simple thought, "What if the child loses his father?" started to consume his mind, did he started searching for a cure. But he needed to know what's wrong, and no matter how many times he searched the entire vault, he never found answers. And so he decided to ask the child. But he does not want Dwyr to know that his pathetic brother is trying to help, hah, Dwyr would probably laugh at him, say something like, 'what can you even do?'. And thus Vir set out to ask the child a few questions. That was it. Just pretend to be a stranger passing by and inquire about his father. If only it went well. 

Vir spotted the father-son duo resting and the child ran away as Dwyr started counting down. A game of hide-and-seek, Vir noted, perfect. But as the child wandered, Vir noticed the krills slowly trail behind him. The child is too bright, he noted, and surely enough, three krills locked on the small child, the child frozen in the bright red spot. Everything after that was a blur- three krills crashing into the dark water, two figures being flung out of the chaos. Vir managed to save the child, barely. Alin was unconscious and hurt, and he saw Dwyr looking for Alin. Options swirled in Vir's head. He could leave the child here and run, and let Dwyr nurse him back. Alin was hurt, but not dead, but he may become like Dwyr. Or he could take the child and nurse him back to health before sending him back to Dwyr. The last option was to tell Dwyr what happened and ask to let Vir nurse Alin. But of course our little prideful prince would not choose the last option. So he did what he thought was the only option- take the child back to the safety of the vault and nurse him back to health. Alin recovered fast, and Vir was quite astonished. Only upon further inspecting the recovering child did he realise why the child was so bright and strong. 

"The light of royalty flows in this child," he noted down. And unless Alin was Dwyr's biological son, there was only one way to get the child to have the light coursing through his veins-consumption. He loves this child a lot, Vir noted once again, fully aware of the methods of willingly passing one's light to another. He has witnessed the selfless acts in Eden numerous times. The adrenaline that keeps the child going, committing or clawing out their own lights, unconsciously numb to the pain, the blood that runs down their hands and chest, the blood that hardens and forms the red glowing crystals that rain upon them, the dreaded blood rock rain. Vir sighed as he looks back at the sleeping child, softly patting his hair. Dwyr loves you a lot, and I will teach you until you can protect him. Surely, after a few days, Alin's scars were fully healed, all the darkness dissolved by his blood or removed by Vir. He sat up, rubbing his eyes, and reached out to Vir, "Dad?" 

Vir had tried to lie to Alin that he was just a passer-by, but the boy was too smart. "You look exactly like Dad and Uncle Faro. You, are you their brother too?" Vir tried to deny, but the child was insistent. Finally, Vir answered his questions one by one, but made Alin swear that he will under no circumstances tell the other two about this. Months passed as Vir taught Alin everything he knew- spells, potions, knowledge. Alin was a bright child, Vir knew, and maybe he can save Dwyr, if Vir could not. And one day, Vir decides that Alin is ready, and takes Alin back to the Wastelands. Alin occasionally brought the tiny shards of exoskeleton that he plucked off Dwyr as the family slept back to Vir to help with the research and cure. But nothing was working. He reported the mood swings Dwyr had, and Vir grew increasingly worried. And surely, one day, Alin burst into Vault, blood specks on his pale grey face, and more blood staining his shirt. Vir immediately rushed out after making sure Alin was alright, only to come to the center of the battlefield, empty except for 10 krills and Dwyr. 

"VIR! GET OUT OF HERE!"  
"DWYR! I! I-I came to c-"  
I...I came to...to what?  
"GET OUT OF HERE!" 

And for the second time in his life, he was attacked by krills. Vir struggled, yelling, kicking whatever he can as he clutched Dwyr's body close to him, stumbling and carrying him into Vault as the gate crashed behind him, the krills' angry roaring fading as Vir dragged Dwyr into his room, lying his brother gently on the bed. More banging, and in burst Alin and a woman. She ran up to Dwyr, and fumbled as her shaky hands took out a winged light. Vir took the winged light from her and smiled, "I don't think Alin should watch this," he looked down at Dwyr, "Could you wait outside?" She nodded and ushered Alin out of the room. Vir looked at the winged light, it was Dwyr's alright.

//CW: Description of insides, some bl00d and g0r3.  
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Lifting up Dwyr's shirt, Vir cringed at the sight. The gaping hole in his chest, pieces of skin hanging off, muscles and soft tissues torn apart, some barely intact. Vir gingerly and gently opened the hole a little more. He reached in, his hand against the wet, sticky muscles that stained his hand red. He froze as he felt a gentle beating against his hand. Dwyr's heart. Beating every so slightly, pulsing, struggling to keep working. Vir reached in a little more, and as the light slowly left his hand and dissolve into Dwyr, he let out a breath he did not know he was holding. Dwyr groaned, but did not wake. Vir sighed as he went to fetch water and some tools. The room was quiet apart from the sound of metals clinking, and the sound of skin slowly stitched back.  
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Vir wiped Dwyr's blood stained body clean and sighed once more. Giving Dwyr a new shirt, he tucked his brother in and went out, where Enyo and Alin was waiting. Updating Dwyr's condition to them, he suggested the two of them visit Faro or Daylight to take a breather, stating that he will take good care of Dwyr in the meantime. Enyo did not want to go, but she thought of how stressful the situation had been for Alin, and reluctantly agreed. 

After a few days of watching over Dwyr and doing some research, Dwyr woke. Words were lodged in his throat as Dwyr threw accusations at him, and left. A few days later, Alin brought the news of Dwyr's death; and he rushed to the scene, only for Faro to throw more accusations and left him. Vir was lost, truly, for once. 

"He has been trying to help you, dad," Alin spoke, breaking Vir out of his own recount.  
Dwyr tilted his head.  
Faro spun around as well, and silently gave Vir a look, "Well, explain yourself."  
Vir sighed and lit the room up.  
Slowly, one by one, he explained whatever he found. 

"The rain contained an interesting mix of both light and dark materials, compared to the ground water. The dark material in the rain is absorbed by the creatures in the forest, such as the jellyfishes, mantas and butterflies, who consumes the small dark particles and ‘purified’ the water before it reaches the ground. Therefore, creatures like the sky kids who did not have the ability to absorb the dark matter would experience the dark material erode their light away. But in the same way, the light material in the rain eroded the dark material." Vir explained, before nodding at Faro, "That's why the single krill that resides in the forest caves are much fatter and nicer than the krills here, that fat krill was showered with the rain." Faro thought about it, and only commented with a monotonous, "I see." 

After a while, Alin manages to convince Faro and Enyo to help with the research, and tries to convince Dwyr to let himself be cured. Dwyr refused to be cured until Vir would apologise for being so prideful and stuck up. Alin insisted that while Vir is wrong for that, Dwyr should not hold a grudge at that. Dwyr shakes his head, and says that "Vir would not learn," and only when Vir, very red faced and stuttering, apologised to Dwyr about his pride did Dwyr agreed to take part in the experiments. After that, Dwyr tried to be closer to Vir, understand his thoughts and see through his jumbled sentences. Eventually, Faro agreed to help with the research, although he complains that the science "is going to make my brain hurt so bad it feels like a crab is running in my head”. Enyo also did not really understand all this smart stuff but eventually she would input her thoughts here and there, and was the main person who brings them specimens. Vir was completely rooted to the ground on the day Enyo walked calming into the Vault, one hand casually drags a whole Krill in, it’s legs still twitching, and a few jars of rainwater in her other arm. (Alin is very proud of this, and with hands on his hips, declared ‘Isn’t my mom amazing?!’ To Vir, who could only reply with a soft ‘wow’) 

This led to the question: why couldn’t Faro wash Dwyr off with the water when he first collapsed in forest, or why did the water Faro brought for Dwyr not help? It turns out that the ground absorbed both the light and dark material, thus leaving the water purely water. The dark and light materials were absorbed, and that’s how plants like darkness and the trees get their nutrients. Therefore, only fresh rain was effective. Arrangements were made for Dwyr to sit in the rain once a month, then twice a month, slowly building up his pain tolerance as he got better. But he didn’t really get better. The skeleton dissolved and then grew back. 

Amidst the discussions, Mea notes that since light creatures absorb the dark material, and Dwyr was considered a dark creature, wouldn’t it work if Dwyr drank the rain instead? 

Vir and Alin slaps themselves for not noticing earlier.  
Faro and Enyo praised Mea, each cuddling the small girl.

Just like bitter medicine, the rain was painful for Dwyr to drink, but he kept a container of it on his person at all times. Enyo will force him to drink it if he doesn’t. And it worked, the exoskeleton slowly eroded away, a little by a little, a in a few years time, Dwyr’s appearance was restored. "How are you feeling?" Enyo had asked on the day the last shards of darkness dissolved away. With one winged light shining on his cape, Dwyr had very embarrassingly replied, "Very naked." So he lets the exoskeleton grow again, just a little, so he feels a little more comfortable. 

In those years, the triplets' bond grew again. Dwyr had recounted to them his memories that he had saw, and how embarrassed he feels regarding his past actions. Faro told them about his fever dream where both his brothers died and reincarnated into the Valley descendants. Vir was hesitant at first, but as he felt closer to his brothers he started opening up to them about his lonely centuries in the Vault. Faro had very sheepishly and loudly apologised to Vir for being harsh about his words and decisions, especially "for that punch I threw, I hope I did not break your face," and Vir had to reassure that while he is weak, he is not frail, and tiptoed to tousle the youngest triplet's hair. While the two had bickerings over minor misunderstandings after that, they were quick to cool down and then try to resolve the issue properly. Faro also brought Mea to meet Vir, and the girl immediately took a liking to him, and Vir agreed to take her under his wing to teach her what he had taught Alin. 

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Once, after Dwyr's recovery, they held a party in the Vault. During dinner, Dwyr jokes and says Vir’s cooking tastes like krill shit. Vir snorts back, “Are you admitting you've eaten krill shit before?”, to which Dwyr looks at him dead in the eyes, and with a serious face, says “When someone is hungry, they will do anything and eat everything they find”, while glancing at Alin (he felt shivers go down his spine). Then Dwyr laughs, saying how horrified all of them look, and promises and swears he has never done that. He has only eaten crabs, and you can hear Alin sigh in relief. The rest of the dinner goes smoothly, but Enyo asks when they get home if Dwyr has actually done that. Dwyr laughs and admits that Krills actually scare him a lot, he just learnt not to panic over time. Enyo sighs and hugs him, saying that he’ll never have to go hungry or feel afraid anymore. Dwyr returns that hug, says that he knows, he’s glad, glad that not only him, but all of his beloved family have found happiness, safety and in this previously dark world. And from now, with a place for everything, Dwyr can say that everything is now in its place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AAAAAAAAAAAAAAND that's the end of the main story! I think I will now proceed to write another work for this series, which will be more Faro-centric. Afterwards, I'll proceed on to a Vir-centric one and finaly one about Mea! :))  
> Thank you once again for reading AAAAAAAAAA How do I upload images on my works I want to add a shitty sketch of Vir- Ah ok I got it HAHAHA ok THANK YOU ONCE AGAIN!!

**Author's Note:**

> So I got this idea when two of my friends and I matched outfits in the game and I was like, hol up, what if, and this story came into play. I wanted to organise my thoughts and the scribbles on Discord into something more readable. Hope you guys enjoyed the first chapter! I also have a Kreb OC, maybe check him out on my instagram? ;) @nekochiru HHAHAH shamless plug lets goOoOOO


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